Smart machinery solutions for a healthy soil
World Soil Day 2013: CEMA underlines importance of advanced farm equipment for sustainable phosphorus use
To mark World Soil Day on 5 December, CEMA, the European Agricultural Machinery Association, published a new position on how advanced farm equipment can help to preserve and improve soil quality in Europe.
According to the position, farmers can benefit from a wide range of state-of-the-art technologies that help to achieve a more sustainable use of phosphorus in agriculture.
“Modern precision fertilizer spreaders or highly innovative precision sprayers together with GPS or geomapping systems can minimise overlap and spillage during the application of the product on the field”, said Ulrich Adam, Secretary General of CEMA. “These are just two examples on how precision farming technologies can reduce the consumption of phosphorus and improve the quality of soil, air and water in Europe” he added.
To achieve a more sustainable use of phosphorus in European agriculture, CEMA calls on the European Union to devise appropriate mechanisms under the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) to support the uptake of innovative machinery techniques, to support research on advanced agricultural machinery systems and to promote knowledge and understanding of precision farming techniques across Europe.
CEMA’s position was submitted to the European Commission’s public consultation on how to use phosphorus in a more sustainable way.
Phosphorus is widely used in agriculture and is an essential component in fertilizer and feed, but it is a non-renewable resource. According to the Commission, supplies are limited and much phosphorus is currently wasted, creating concerns about future supplies in the EU and worldwide.
The consultation asked how to ensure that reserves are available for future generations and sought ways to minimise the undesirable side effects phosphorus use can have on the environment.
CLICK here, to read the CEMA position in full.
Further information on the European Commission’s consultation is available at:http://ec.europa.eu/environment/consultations/phosphorus_en.htm
